Traditional Chinese Martial Arts are a set of very old combat and defense systems that have significantly influenced the rest of martial styles of the world. Formerly referred to as Wǔ Shù* 武術 (“martial arts”) or Guó Shù 國術 (“national arts”), today they are popularly known as Kung Fu 功夫**.
The difference between a martial art and a contact sport is that the martial arts, in addition to constituting a physical training as personal defense systems, also have a strong mental, philosophical and/or spiritual component, and a code of conduct or ethics. The student of martial arts not only learns defense techniques, but is also involved in a process of personal development that affects all areas of his life, making him grow and improve as a person.
Let’s not forget that the Shǎolín 少林 martial arts were means of achieving spiritual realization for the monks.
Notes:
* Nowadays the term Wǔ Shù usually refers to modern Wushu as a competitive sport, rather than as a martial art.
** Although the Chinese word 功夫 can be transcribed as Gōng Fū or as Kung Fu, we will refer with the first term to the skill or mastery that can be developed by both a martial artist and a potter, and with the second to the set of styles and systems of Chinese Martial Arts. Thus, Tài Jí Quán 太極拳 or Tai Chi is also a Kung Fu style.
Today, Chinese martial arts are often divided between external styles (外家 wàijiā) and internal styles (內家 nèijiā). However, this division is not accepted by all practitioners and, if we contemplate how these concepts originated, we can realize that the classification has little practical basis.
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Yáng Lùchán 楊露禪 was a master of Tàijíquán 太極拳 and one of the greatest martial artists of his time. He is considered the founder of the Yáng style of Tàijíquán 楊氏太極拳 and was an essential figure in the popularization of this martial art.
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The Snake Form is one of the internal forms of our style, and gathers some of the most ancient Kung Fu techniques. The use of internal energy (氣 qi) and relaxation over external physical force predominates in the execution of techniques and movements, which imitate those of the animal.
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In many styles of Kung Fu, in addition to empty hand combat techniques, different kinds of weapon techniques are practiced. These weapons include a series of everyday objects that, if necessary, can be used in combat. We are talking about, among others, the fan, the bench, the cane or crutch, the hoe, the flute…
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The Hook Swords or Seung Ngau 双鈎 are an exclusively Chinese weapon, unparalleled anywhere else in the world. With a very peculiar shape, it is a weapon as devastating as it is difficult to master. Its unique design makes them a versatile and very effective weapon.
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Many Kung Fu styles trace their origins to an alleged Shàolín 少林 temple in the southern province of Fújiàn 福建, which would be attacked by the troops of the Qīng 清 dynasty, and from which only five monks, known as the Five Elders or Five Ancestors of Shàolín (少林五祖 Shàolín wǔ zǔ), would escape.
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Many martial styles incorporate meditation practices in different ways or have an important meditative component in their practice. But, what is meditation, and why is it related to martial arts?
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Qī Jìguāng 戚繼光, a general of the Míng 明 dynasty and military genius, not only invented the “mandarin duck” formation (鴛鴦陣 yuānyāng zhèn), but modified the design of the Chinese long sabre based on the Japanese one, and also studied Japanese sword techniques to introduce them into the handling of this weapon.
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Within the Choy Li Fut system we have a myriad of martial techniques of all kinds: fist techniques, kicks, qin-na 擒拿, sweeps… In addition, it is remarkable a wide variety of strikes with open hand or palm techniques, that come to us from Chan Heung’s first master and uncle, Chan Yuen-Woo 陳遠護, who was an expert in the Fut Gar system or Buddha’s Palm style.
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Qī Jìguāng 戚繼光 was a general of the Míng 明 dynasty, famous for leading expeditions against the attacks of the Japanese pirates wōkòu 倭寇 and later against the Mongols in the north. He was a military genius who, among other achievements, invented the “Mandarin Duck” formation (鴛鴦陣 yuānyāng zhèn), which we will examine in this article.
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